


Part of My Book

by koreanskyz



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:12:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koreanskyz/pseuds/koreanskyz
Summary: Riku is an avid reader and writer, but those who care about him think he's a little too into his hobbies.That is, until he met the cute librarian that works at the college he attends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first serious series on this website! I'm so excited to develop it :) I got the idea from an AU idea on Tumblr but I can't remember what the post was. Either way, enjoy the first chapter!

Riku loves to read. That was a given. If he didn’t have a nose in front of a book, everyone that knew him either got worried or thought the world was going to end. His grades never faltered (how could they? His reading and writing comprehension are off the charts and textbooks make it so he could pass every other class) so his parents never really complained about him reading 24/7. The only real concern they had was that he wasn’t social. If he was going to be honest with himself though, Riku didn’t mind it. It wasn’t like he didn’t have friends, it’s just that the silver-haired boy preferred fantasy worlds over the real one. Books were the love of his life, and he knew they would always be there when he needed them.

After flying through high school like no big deal, Riku decided it was time to move on to college, and he accepted his spot at University of Twilight Town, with English as his major, hoping he could continue to read as much as he wanted. Well, that and writing. But writing was a completely different story. It’s already been two months since he’s started his freshman year, and Riku decided to spend his two hour break before his next class in his dorm room, reading a novel about a hopeless romantic is trying their best to get their two best friends together, but doesn’t realize that they don’t want a relationship. While he enjoys all genres, romantic comedies seemed to be Riku’s go-to recently.

“Come on fox, you gotta meet people at someone point.”

Riku broke away from his book and made eye contact with his roommate, Axel. Axel was kind of a wild one, physically and mentally. His bright red hair and triangle tattoos under his eyes kind of intimidated Riku when they first met, but as the two months went by, he realized he was just really loud. He and Axel were almost the same height, but if it were any other person, he’d be considered a giant. He’s very skinny, but still considerably fit. Riku assumed he was gay or maybe bi, just by the way he always talked about his “best friend” Roxas, but he never bothered asking because it wasn’t important. The red-haired roommate just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes when Riku’s fell back onto the book. Riku didn’t feel like responding to the weird nickname Axel had given him (no matter how many times he asked, Axel stuck with it.)

“Seriously man, how did you even make friends like this in high school?”

“Simple,” Riku replied, not looking up again from his written world, “People would ask what book I read and we went from there.”

“Well, look, Roxas and a few of my other friends are coming here in a few. I was hoping I could chill with them here for a while.”

This made Riku look up. “Are you kicking me out of my own room?”

“It’s just for a few hours, dude. We aren’t going to fuck up your area or anything. We’re just tired of going to bars or just any crowded area.”

“And where did you expect me to go?”

“Have you seen our library here? It's open til midnight on weekends.”

Actually, Riku hadn’t. He spent so much time reading in his room that he never made room to explore the campus.

“Well, no. I guess I could go check it out for a bit.”

Axel nodded, proud that he could convince his bookworm roomie to leave. “Don’t come back until 5-ish. We’ll probably head out for dinner by then.”

“That’s nearly 6 hours from now.”

Axel scoffed and walked towards the mirror he had hung himself, fixing the microscopic baby hairs that stood out of his spiked hair, “Like you won’t kill time reading.”

Riku didn’t respond. He wasn’t wrong, and Riku hated that. The silver-haired boy got up and put his shoes on, “I’ll see you later then.”

“Don’t get too lost on your way there. I heard it’s a bit difficult to find.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I think I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so, buddy.”

\--

Riku didn't realize how hard it was to actually find the place. He had looked at all of the campus maps and directories and still couldn't find it. Giving a quick huff, Riku decided to finally ask a person rather than find it himself.

Once he found it, Riku couldn't believe his eyes. The entrance was elegant, almost like a palace. There were four entrances to choose from with a revolving door in the middle, pillars standing in between each gap of the doors. The steps seemed like they could go for miles, and it was inviting. Riku had never seen such a magnificent library. And the best part, Axel was right. Open until midnight.

The excited college student rushed up the stairs and took in the immediate ambiance of the place. It wasn’t completely quiet, which was normal in a university library, but it wasn’t as loud as the dorm halls either. The open castle of books goes on for three floors, all with an excessive amount of tables, loungers, computers, and study rooms. There were shelves upon shelves of books, all of them completely stocked, and enough to give Riku something to do for the rest of his college career. He had to admit, this place was Riku’s paradise. It was almost enough to make him cry. Almost.

Eager to explore this new world, Riku decided to head to the third floor and work his way down. He grabbed a few books from each shelf (literally each one) and began to read. As soon as he finished one stack, he would move to the next and so on and so forth. Time slipped his grasp, and Riku had realized that majority of the people he saw when he entered were gone. Riku looked at his phone.

11:50.

To Riku, it felt like 30 minutes. He glanced at the page number of his current book, grabbed a few more that he really wanted to read tonight, and headed towards the librarian to check the books out. As he made his way down, all Riku could think about was what books he would read tomorrow and how much inspiration they would bring to his writing hobby. Just as he got to the last step of the stairs, the book lover tripped and landed face-first in his pile of literature.

“Oh my goodness are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Riku groaned, “I’m fin-”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Riku’s froze as he came face to face with a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They were as deep as the ocean itself, and the eyelashes attached go on for miles. He further examined the face that belonged to the pair and was even more amazed. Sun-kissed skin with a blush only an angel could have. Then the smile. A smile so radiant that the sun couldn’t even compete with it. It was a smile that could warm up anyone’s day in the middle of a December snow storm, and all Riku wanted to do was kiss it.

“Um, are you okay?” The boy asked once more.

Shaking his head to break the trance, Riku began to pile up the books once more, “Yeah, sorry I’m fine. I don’t know what came over me.”

The boy giggled that almost sounded like a bell and the silver-haired teen couldn’t help but melt at the sound of it. The brunette began to help Riku pick up the books.

“Well, I’m just glad that you’re okay. My name’s Sora.”

“Riku.” The flustered teen said as he kept his head down. He could feel the amount of blush that was forming on his face and he didn’t want to look as flustered as he sounded. They continued to pick up books in silence (Riku planned on checking out a lot..) and Sora was the one to pick up the last one. They both made their way to the checkout desk and place both of their respective stacks of books on the table.

“So Riku, what class is torturing you to get all these books?”

“Um, none of them actually. I read them for fun.”

“Wow, really? I’ve never met such an avid reader. I guess your grades are phenomenal considering how much you must read. Sure am jealous.”

“It’s nothing, really. I just have a lot of spare time in between classes.”

“How do you keep in touch with friends?”

“I, uh…”

Riku knew this type of conversation. People always wondered how Riku managed to keep up with friends and social media and anything related to people. The truth was that people always contacted him first. But that was back they were in close range with him. Now all he has is his roommate. It wasn’t a problem for him, but when it came to explaining the situation to Sora, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about it. Instead of continuing, Riku just coughed and looked around.

“So, where’s the librarian? I was hoping I could get all of these checked out before this place closes.”

“Oh.” The brunette walked around and sat in the chair, getting ready to scan the infinite books Riku had piled for him, “You’re looking at him.”


	2. Chapter 2

Riku hadn’t gone back to library after finding out that the boy he immediately fell for was the librarian. He knew the place was too good to be good. A God-given collection of books and a gorgeous librarian on top of that? Riku knew it couldn’t have been real. The real problem at this point was that the nerdy college student couldn’t get the brunette out of his head. He didn’t really know much about him other than he was beautiful and he was the bookkeeper, but he had a need to get to know him more (if, you know, he wasn’t that big of a wuss to go back.)

“Damn, just when I thought I finally got you to leave this cramped place.”

Riku’s sarcastic roommate was, once again, ready to go out with “Roxas and friends”, adjusting his dark, black cloak and adjusting his spikes even though they landed right back to where they were originally.

“Give it up, Axel.” Riku was laying in bed, enjoying another book he had already finished with a little book light attached for 24/7 reading ability. “I don’t have to leave the room in order to enjoy my free time.”

“Maybe not, Fox, but I don’t understand. A place filled with endless amounts of books and you refuse to go back? I think you’ve stayed in here longer than before.”

“I just didn’t feel like going back.”

“It just doesn’t add up to me..”

“Stop looking so much into it. Aren’t you going to be late for your date with Roxas?”

“Hey, I still haven’t told-”

There was an awkward pause of silence as Axel began to process what he had just admitted to his roommate, who was basically a stranger to him.

Riku was the first to break the silence, never looking up from his reading material. “How long have you liked him?”

Axel exhaled and deflated onto his bed, no longer caring about his hair, “Basically my entire life. I’ve seen him grow up and go through so much. I’ve also seen him date plenty of girls. Basically confirming that we’re never going to happen.”

“Hmmm” Riku hummed, still reading his book, “It doesn’t seem that way when he’s with you.”

“You wouldn’t know what I’ve seen and been through with him, Fox.”

“No, but I can be observant. He seems to fancy you just as much, if not more.”

Axel propped his head up in curiosity, “You think so?”

“When was the last time he dated anyone?”

“Not since junior year of high school.”

Riku finally glanced up from his imaginary world and stared at Axel with intense judgement, “Really, Axel? I knew you were kind of a dumbass, but I would’ve thought you could at least read the person you’ve been madly in love with for years now.”

“Hey, asshole, I’ve been cautious. I know he’s been acting different lately, I just didn’t want to jump to conclusions.”

“Maybe you should jump on the opportunity instead.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you get a gut feeling about telling Roxas, you should.”

“But what if he doesn’t actually swing that way?”

“Then you stay as friends.”

The redhead laughed at the robotic response, “Seriously Fox, if you weren’t such a nerd, you’d be a decent comedian.”

Riku didn’t understand what was so funny, but just shrugged and tried to go back to his book.

“Nope. No, no, no, no.” Axel snatched the book away from Riku’s hands and threw it somewhere.

“Hey, I paid for that book and lamp.”

“The library is was brighter and way better for your eyes. Plus, book lamps are lame.” Axel’s attempted to make Riku laugh backfired and just sighed heavily at the lack of response he got, “Seriously, why are you so against the place now?”

“No reason.” Riku stood up to go grab his (hopefully not broken) book and lamp, but Axel followed suit and blocked Riku’s one-way path. Axel was already the same height, but with his arms spread out all the way, he almost touches both ends of the walls.

“Come on dude, I may not talk to you much, but I do sense when you’re trying to avoid something. That’s the weird thing about roommates.”

Riku just sighed, knowing what the redhead had just said was true.

“It's about the librarian there.”

With a questionable expression, Axel slowly rested his arms a bit, “You mean Sora? He's nothing but a bundle of happiness. What's wrong with him?”

“That's my point, Axel. He's too happy, he's too enthusiastic, he's too… beautiful.”

Axel had completely dropped his arms and repositioned them to cross over, “Oh my god. You're in love with Sora.”

“Well… love is a strong word but yes, I am infatuated with him.”

Axel took a seat on his bed while Riku took the opportunity to pick up his book and lamp.

“Okay, first of all Fox, I didn't even know you were gay.”

“I assume you're not trying to be an asshole when you say that.”

Riku repositioned himself on his bed and opened the book to where he left off.

“I mean I'm not the most observant guy, dude. Plus, I only see you when I'm not going out with Roxas and them. And even then we don't talk much.”

It was true. Riku never cared about roommates, and Axel wasn't an exception at the time. He got a dorm because his parents wanted him to “enjoy the full college experience”, but Riku didn't care, as long as it made them happy.

“Well sexuality aside, what do I do about Sora?”

“Honestly Fox, just talk to him every once in awhile. You do know how to talk to guys you like, right?”

Riku had only one interaction with another person he had liked from high school, but it didn't go too well. Long story short, he ran away after asking him out on a date. After that, he had stayed away from every hallway, seat and even transferred classes just to stay away from confrontation.

“I'm… a little rusty.”

A knock came at the door and Axel went to go grab it.

“You ready yet, Axel?”

“Oh hey, Roxas. You're here early.”

The blonde boy chuckled and smiled, “Dude I'm early by like 10 minutes.”

“We all said we would meet at 6. It's like, 5:15 right now.”

Riku continued to look at the would-be couple as they continued to talk and make jokes while standing in front of the doorway. The silver-haired boy didn't know if he could be like that with Sora, but he felt like it wouldn't be bad to maybe take a chance for once.

Axel noticed Riku staring and told Roxas to come in and sit while the others made their way over.

“Roxas, you've seen my roommate, Riku, before right?”

“Yeah, I've seen him a few times.” Roxas stuck his arm out and smiled, “Nice to finally met ya, Riku.”

“Likewise.” Riku’s hand met Roxas’ and they shook.

“Riku’s got a thing for your brother, you mind helping him out?”

Riku’s eyes widened and shot a glance at Axel, who was once again fixing his hair, but Riku could see the smallest smirk on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and critiques are much appreciated :) thanks for the 11 kudos! I appreciate all of you guys! All chapters are probably gonna be around 1500 words or so, maybe longer if I really try hard enough. But I still appreciate everyone who has read this so far!
> 
> Until next time everyone! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re… you’re Sora’s brother?”

Riku didn’t know how to feel. Embarrassed? Hopeful? If anything, he felt a little betrayed. Axel knew who Riku was talking about and didn’t even bother telling him that Sora and Roxas were related. He’ll have to get revenge on him later…

“Yeah dude, don’t you see it in the eyes? Now, granted, I bleach the living shit out of my hair, but I mean I like the blonde better than the brown. Don’t you, Axel?”

“Hmm I don’t know. Sora has slightly darker skin, so the brown works for him.”

“I wasn’t asking about him, dummy. I meant me.”

Axel finally stopped fixing his hair and gave an exaggerated eye roll towards Roxas, “You look gorgeous in that hair color Roxy.”

“Damn straight.”

Riku thought Axel probably meant what he said. After all, the smile the redhead gave after Roxas’ response was so genuine and pure, Riku almost forgot the statement was supposed to be sarcastic.

“But I digress. Look Riku, I don't mind you liking my brother. It's a very common thing.”

“Really?”

Roxas just sighed, slightly annoyed he needs to talk about his brother again, and laid on Axel’s bed, “Yeah. You ever talk to the guy? He’s like the sun and happiness gave birth to a child and let him loose. Not to mention, he has my looks.”

“Easy, Roxas.” Axel said, now sitting on the blonde’s stomach, “Don’t let your big-ass head get any bigger than it already is.”

Roxas tried to push Axel off his body, “Get off me, you fatty. How are you so skinny but weigh so much?”

Still watching the two bicker and joke around, Riku couldn’t help but smile a little. He had never seen a dynamic duo with such chemistry as those two have, and he really hoped Axel would grow a pair and ask Roxas out properly.

“Well, well. Do my eyes deceive me, or did Fox just smile?”

Riku went back to his regular resting face and just scoffed, “You’re seeing things, Axel.”

“So what are you going to do about Sora?”

“I’ll talk to him. Eventually.”

And then, out of nowhere, Roxas smacked the back of Riku’s head, “Seriously?”

The confused silverette rubbed the bruised spot and laid back, somehow feeling dizzy from the slap, “What? What did I say? And how did you get over there?”

Ignoring Riku’s last question, Roxas crossed his arms, “I just told you Sora is everyone's dream boy and you're still just going to sit here?”

Axel tsk-ed three times and leaned against the wall, “You're forgetting Roxy, Riku is a total introvert. Never had a social interaction unless needed.”

Then, with a mischievous smirk, Roxas simply said, “I see.”

Checking his watch, the blonde gave a quick smile and ran out the door.

Both roommates gave the closed door a questioning look for a solid 3 minutes.

“What just happened?” Riku asked.

“If I know Roxas well enough, and I do, something interesting.”

 

* * *

 

A few weeks went by after that event. Riku decided that he needed to catch up on his studies since he unintentionally skipped his class when he went to library (he literally went in and was lost during the whole lecture.) Feeling a bit adventurous, the sliverette heeded his roommate’s advice and went to a local coffee shop rather than stay in. Considering it was a Saturday, the small cafe was pretty empty, so Riku immediately set up his laptop and textbooks at a table next to the window and stood in line for his drink.

As the line dwindled down, Riku was confirming the drink he wanted in his head, trying his best not to make it too complicated for whoever had to make the drink. Once he knew what he wanted, he went on his phone, only looking up when it was time to move forward. It was finally his turn, and the female cashier gave him a warm, yet semi-fake, smile.

“Good afternoon sir, what can I get for you?”

Still looking down at his phone, Riku begin to place his order, “I’ll have-”

“Don’t worry about this one Kai, I got it.”

Confused as to why the voice changed, Riku looked up. There, right in front of him once again, was Sora in a black apron and hat, giving the same beautiful smile that Riku had seen the night he met him, “Riku, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“You sure you got this one Sor?” The cashier asked, concerned there was no one making drinks at the moment.

“Don’t worry Kairi, I’ve got the timing in my head. Go take a break, you deserve it. Tell Namine that I said you could.”

“Alright, thanks Sora.”

The redhead happily skipped to the back, untying her apron in the process. Riku watched her as she disappeared behind the door. He didn’t know if her hair was dyed or not, but if it was, it’s nothing compared to Axel’s hair. And his was naturally that bright.

“So, what can I make for ya?”

The silverette turned his attention back to the beautiful boy in front of him, but the drink he wanted completely left his memory.

“I uh… I’m not sure yet.”

“Oh, okay. Give me one sec then, I have to finish these before the espresso shots expire.”

Before he even got a chance to respond, the brunette dashed over to the drink station and finished up the drinks he started. Riku observed as Sora move efficiently around the station, every move having a purpose. He’d guess that being a barista couldn’t be an easy job, but Sora made it look easy and graceful at the same time. Once he capped them, the happy brunette called out the complicated drinks with ease, as well as the names, and headed back to the register. Luckily, Riku was the only one left that needed to order so he didn’t feel rushed in ordering.

“Alright, back to what you want.”

“Um, yeah…”

“Oh come on Riku, I gave you so much time to decide.” Sora said in a joking manner.

“I know, I’m sorry. I guess I just… Why do you work here?”

Mentally slapping himself on the face, Riku wondered why he had steered so far from the subject and why he was so straightforward. Why was it so hard to talk to him? Why does he feel like an idiot both times he had met Sora? He’s just a person that he found good looking, that was it.

Sora was still smiling, but it toned down a little. He gave a shrug and just looked at the register menu, messing around with the ingredient list to see what kind of concoction he could make later during his shift, “I don’t know. Money, I guess. The library doesn’t pay as well, but I get more hours there. Here, I just come to make drinks and talk to people during the weekends and get, like, almost double the pay.”

“I see…”

Seeing how the silverette was behaving, Sora just giggled and grabbed a ceramic cup, “I’ll make you something special. Just ‘cause it doesn’t seem like you can’t make up your mind.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“No problem.”

The backdoor opened and the cashier girl came back, uniform and all.

“Ah, perfect timing Kai. I’ll take over the drink area again.”

“For sure Sor.”

Sora gave another bright smile to Riku and gestured him to follow him. Without even thinking, he followed the brunette to the serving area, where Sora was able to make his drink while still conversing with Riku.

“So how come I haven’t seen you in the library since the night we met?”

Riku tried to play it cool and shrugged, “I just got busy.”

“I see. My brother was telling me that you and Ax get along decently well.”

He wasn’t wrong. Ever since he found out Roxas was Sora’s brother, Axel and Roxas have been hanging out with Riku in the room more often than usual.

“It’s because you’re interesting to talk to.” Roxas told him one day.

“Yeah Fox, give yourself some credit for actually being a human being.”

Riku didn’t know how to take that statement, but he just assumed it was a compliment.

Remembering he was still talking to Sora, Riku tried to come up with a quick response, “Yeah, he’s cool. Kind of loud though.”

Sora gave a semi-loud laugh, “Yeah, that sounds like Axel.”

Riku studied Sora once more as he began to make his drink. He started by pouring milk into the pitcher, then began to steam it through the steam wand. The loud sound startled Riku for a bit, but it toned down once Sora placed it on the shelf. Then he grabbed what looked like a demented spoon to Riku and pushed it against a button where the espresso grounds filled the spoon to the top. The brunette then pushed a lever down which pack the grounds, solidifying them in place. He quickly jammed the spoon into the machine, pushed a button on it, and began to pump some syrup in the ceramic cup. The sound of the water heating up was prominent, and then cut out quickly, leaving two trails of liquid espresso falling down the spouts of the spoon. As they were flowing down, Sora place the cup right before they hit the machine and went back to the milk. He cleaned the steam wand from the milk residue and then blew it out, which gave Riku another startle. Steam came out from the wand for briefly two seconds then stopped when Sora pushed the lever back up. He gently pounded the pitcher twice and swirled it, grabbing the cup in the meantime. He swirled the cup once and began to pour. First from a high distance, then gradually brought the pitcher down, crafting a simple, yet sophisticated heart. He carefully place the cup on a plate and gently pushed it towards Riku, who was baffled by how quickly Sora was at making drinks.

“One Sora Special for Riku!”

“Thank you.”

If Riku was being honest, he didn’t want to drink it. It was too pretty to destroy, but Sora took his time to make it for him, free of charge. He took a sip and his eyes widen. He had never tasted a latte as complex as this.

“Sora…”

“Yeah?” The brunette asked, already working on the next drink.

“This is amazing.”

Sora smiled as he was pouring the next drink, “Large cappuchino for Susan!”

“What’s in it?”

“It’s a secret. I only make it for certain coworkers and friends if they ask for it.”

“Wait, are you saying… we’re friends?”

“Well of course silly! Any friend of Roxas is a friend of mine!”

And that’s when it hit him. Roxas had stopped by to talk to Sora about Riku. He tried to give a good impression since he left such a sour one the night they met. Riku took another sip of the heavenly drink and sighed at how amazingly smooth the coffee was.

“Well, thank you again, Sora.”

“You’re welcome Riku. Now, don’t you have some studying to do?”

“How did you-”

“I saw you walked in and set up your stuff.”

Embarrassed at how obvious the answer was, Riku just walked over to his spot, opened his books and laptop, and began to read, all the while reminding himself to thank Roxas the next time he saw him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, that whole paragraph describe how Sora made the drink only took me two minutes to write because I used to be a barista lol. I know it's unnecessary, but it was a nice little excuse to give the chapter some length. But thanks for the 17 kudos!! ; u ; I love you guys so much!
> 
> Until next time everyone!


End file.
